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Cars
Cars is a 2006 American animated feature film produced by Pixar and directed by both John Lasseter and Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney/Pixar feature film, and the final film by Pixar before it was bought by Disney. Set in a world populated entirely by anthropomorphic cars and other vehicles, it features voices by Owen Wilson, Paul Newman (in his final non-documentary feature), Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, Jenifer Lewis, Tony Shalhoub, John Ratzenberger, George Carlin, Larry the Cable Guy and Michael Keaton as well as voice cameos by several celebrities including Jeremy Piven, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bob Costas, Darrell Waltrip, Jay Leno, Michael Schumacher, Tom & Ray Magliozzi from NPR's Car Talk and Mario Andretti. Cars premiered on May 26, 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, and was released on June 9, 2006, to generally favorable reviews. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. It was released on DVD in late 2006 and on Blu-ray Disc in late 2007. Related merchandise, including scale models of several of the cars, broke records for retail sales of merchandise based on a Disney/Pixar film, with an estimated $5 billion in sales.2 A sequel, Cars 2, is in pre-production and set for release on June 24, 2011 Story Cars is set in a world populated by anthropomorphic vehicles, including cars (hence the name "Cars"), trucks, trains, and airplanes. The last race of the Piston Cup stock car racing season ends in a three-way dead heat between retiring veteran Strip "The King" Weathers, perennial runner-up and dirty fighter Chick Hicks, and the self-centered rookie Lightning McQueen. A tiebreaker race is scheduled for one week later at the Los Angeles International Speedway. Lightning, eager to start practice in California as soon as possible in order to become Piston Cup champion and take The King's place as the sponsored car of the lucrative Dinoco team, pushes his driver Mack to travel all night long. Mack tries (unsuccessfully) to avoid falling asleep, but becomes a victim of a gang of reckless street racers, subsequently causing the sleeping Lightning to roll out of the back of the truck unnoticed. Waking up in traffic, Lightning speeds off to find Mack, but mistakes a waste disposal tractor-trailer, a Peterbilt 362, for Mack, becomes lost and ends up in the run-down town of Radiator Springs. A mishap with the local sheriff causes Lightning to inadvertently tear up the town's main road. Lightning is promptly arrested, then tried the next day by the town's judge and doctor, Doc Hudson, who at first wants him to leave Radiator Springs immediately; but at the insistence of local lawyer Sally Carrera, Doc instead sentences him to repave the road as community service. McQueen initially tries to rush through the job, but makes a sloppy, bumpy mess of the road and is forced to start over again. As the days pass, he becomes friends with many of the townsfolk, and learns that Radiator Springs was once a popular stopover along U.S. Route 66. However, the construction of interstate 40 pretty much forced cars to bypass the town to save 10 minutes of driving, thus causing many of the businesses and residents to leave. McQueen also discovers that Doc is actually the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a three-time Piston Cup champion who was forced out of sight after a serious racing accident ended his career over 50 years ago. Encouraged by his new friends and a countryside cruise with Sally, McQueen successfully completes the road and spends an extra day in town, visiting the local shops to outfit himself with new tires and equipment. That night, Mack and the media converge on the town, having been tipped off by Doc as to Lightning's whereabouts, and Lightning reluctantly sets off for California. Sally is upset with Doc for thinking only of himself, and the other townsfolk are saddened to see McQueen go. As they retire to their homes, the town's neon is turned off, and as the town returns to it's previous quietness, Doc realizes just how much that McQueen meant to the town. As the tie-breaker race begins, McQueen's thoughts keep drifting back to Radiator Springs and he is distracted from performing well. However, he is surprised to discover that his new friends have come along to serve as his pit crew, with Doc — once again outfitted in his old racing colors — as his crew chief. Heartened by their presence and Guido's incredible pit stop speed, and using tricks he learned during his time among them, McQueen is able to counter Hicks' dirty driving tactics and take the lead of the race. On the final lap, Hicks, fed up with being seen as the perennial loser, purposely rams The King, causing him to veer off the track and end up in a terrible wreck as deadly as the one that ended the career of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. Lightning sees the King wreck out, and stops just short of the finish line, letting Chick win. Lightning thinks back to Doc's career-ending shunt, then backs up to push The King the rest of the way across the line so he can finish his last race and retire with dignity. Chick's win is rejected and booed off the awards ceremony stage, his Piston Cup victory hollow and meaningless, while Lightning is praised by The King and his wife, Dinoco, the press and the crowd for his sportsmanship. The king is given as the winner. Lightning is offered the Dinoco sponsorship but turns it down, saying that he would rather stay with the team that brought him this far. Lightning returns to Radiator Springs and decides to move his team's headquarters there, helping to revitalize the town and its businesses, much to the pleasure of his new friends. Cast Race cars *Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, described by John Lasseter in the LA Times as "A hybrid between a stock car and a more curvaceous Le Mans endurance racer."3 *Michael Keaton as Chick Hicks, described by Pixar as "A generic 1980s stock car."4 Strongly resembles a 78-88 General Motors G-Body such as Buick Regal or Grand National. *Richard Petty as "The King" Strip Weathers. The car's design was based on Richard Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird Radiator Springs cars *Paul Newman as Doc Hudson, a 1951 Hudson Hornet, later revealed to be the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. *Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, a 1951 International Harvester L-170 "boom" truck56 with elements of a mid-1950s *Chevrolet.4 One-Ton Wrecker Tow Truck. *Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera, a 2002 996-series Porsche 911 Carrera. *Cheech Marin as Ramone, a 1959 Chevy Impala Lowrider. *Tony Shalhoub as Luigi, a 1959 Fiat 500. *Michael Wallis as Sheriff, a 1949 Mercury Club Coupe (police package). *George Carlin as Fillmore, a 1960 VW Bus. *Paul Dooley as Sarge, a 1941 Willys model jeep, in the style used by the US Military. *Jenifer Lewis as Flo, a 1957 Motorama show car. *Guido Quaroni as Guido, a custom forklift, hybrid between Isetta (front) and Messerschmitt Kabinenroller (back) *Katherine Helmond as Lizzie, a 1923 Ford Model T. *Joe Ranft as Red, a 1960s style fire truck (most closely resembles a mid-1960s Pirsch pumper but also resembles American *LaFrance models). Other cars *John Ratzenberger as Mack, a 1985 Mack Super-Liner. See Also *List of Cars characters Category:Movies Category:DVD Category:THX